A Homeschool Highlight

So many people, when I tell them that I am Homeschooling my 5 children, say things like "I could never do that." or "You are an amazing woman."  Really, I'm sure many people could do the un-amazing things we do every day.  It's just a matter of waking up and thinking, "we have to start school in an hour, or we might not get it done."  On the days (and there are oh, so many of these) when I wake up thinking, "I DO NOT want to do school today," I have to close my eyes and start over.  I have to re-program my thinking at least 50% of my days.  I shoot from the hip way more than I have a structured day with neat-o projects and fabulous results.  But, day in, day out, we, at the very least, work on reading skills, math skills and religious teachings.  We always start with a song, a prayer, the pledge and a memorized scripture.  That puts all of us in the frame of mind that it is time to start our learning.  The goal, for me, is to be done with what I require we do by noon, at the latest.  Then, we play hard, have lunch and "Quiet Time" and do whatever self-directed learning the children want to do and didn't get done during Quiet Time.
Today, I set a goal to make sure I have at least some sort of a minimal plan for the next day's school before I go to bed for the rest of this school year.  We'll see how it goes.

Operation Smile 5K

My mom drove me to my first post-birth 5K, while my hero Darren stayed home with 5 children ages 7 and under!  This is the first time I have felt compelled to donate to the cause for which I was running.  Operation Smile is to help raise money for the families of children with cleft lip/cleft pallet who may not otherwise be able to pay for their children to have helpful surgery and cosmetic dentistry.  My dad, a fabulous orthodontist, who died in 1999, did some volunteer work for Operation Smile and really felt the goodness of it.  I am glad to have donated.
This 5K, the goal was to finish!  I am glad that was the goal, because the day before the race, it snowed on the trail we were to run.  So, upon arrival, we were all informed that we needed to sign wavers and agree to walk, single-file, along .5 mile of the trail, where it became rather treacherous.  Several runners in the slower runner group, with me, decided to just scale the hillside, because by the time we got to the treacherous trail, it was basically an ice-chute.  We deemed it safer to scale the snowey weeds. 
I think I actually ran the race pretty well.  I wish I had borrowed Jackie's I-Phone, though, because a mere 1/2 mile before the end, maybe less, as a recovering mother of Baby #5, I felt the need to use the bushes.  Had I known how little trail remained, I could have held out for the Honey Bucket!  Still, I finished in 40-ish minutes, even with the 1/2 mile walk and the pit-stop.  I think I'll do Operation Smile again.  The music was great, the memories are already many and I got some free headphones!  Plus, we heard great stories about miracles made possible by the organization.

To run again!

I started running again with my great pal, Jackie.  We are taking it slow, since she is recovering from a knee injury and I...well, birth is hard work on the body!  I love running with Jackie for many reasons, including the following: 
1-She talks to me...about everything on her mind.  Darren (husband and best friend) was surprised the first time I ran with Jackie about a year and a half ago.  I came home and was not tired at all.  He asked if I hadn't run very hard and I explained that I just didn't talk very much.  In shocked surprise, he queried why I had clammed up.  "Because Jackie talked most of the time - I listened."  His response?  "Someone who talked more than you?  You should keep running with her."  And I have.
2-She listens to me...about everything on my mind.  Again, I spend a little more time listening than talking oftentimes.  This tells you about whose mind is going.  I usually turn my mind off and enjoy the physicality and "zen" of the run.  This makes me a great listener.
3-She runs her pace and I run mine, unless we have something really important to talk about.  We are closely matched in pace, but we just run back and forth to each other (usually JACKIE runs back and forth) for safety and enjoy the tempo of our own body.  Sometimes, I even push myself to run her pace.
4-Jackie's pace pushes me.  Obviously I am trying to increase my pace, so this has definite benefits.
5-Jackie's I-phone has it all!  We know how far we've run, how fast and what our goals are!  The other reasons are more important to me, but I love this reason, too.  I just hope Jackie doesn't feel that I really do (as I often joke) use her for her I-Phone.

The Challenge

I have many dreams.  But, those that will be highlighted here are the journey that will be narrated on this blog.  Namely: 1-Bear, raise and Homeschool 6-12 children...I am well on my way there.  I have 5 children, as of February 17, 2011, when #5, Louis Michel was born.  I currently teach my 5 children, the oldest of which is First grade age, at home.  2-Run the Boston marathon.  My progress there is a lot more sketchy: I have run a marathon and a half-ironman triathlon.  I have been in several 5Ks and a 10K.  I can run, and run and run, so the finishing of the DISTANCE part of the Boston marathon is no problem-o.  It's the SPEED issue with which I struggle: I have historically been slow, and every time I start to get a bit speedier, I find I am pregnant.  I keep running, but I slow WAY down.  So, in my age category ( I will be 35 on April 19), I need to run 26.2 8 minute miles.  Right now, after the birth of Louis, I am slowed down to 12.5 minute miles.  3-Write and publish at least one book; although I have started about a dozen that I am liking right now (and several dozen that have been trashed).  I would love for the characters in my mind and on my computer could be shared with everyone who is interested - they are intriguing people, as far as I am concerned.